By the Light of the Flame
by EarthAngel Jenna
Summary: Hermione/Draco pairing. Hermione is up late doing some studying...Draco is out for a 'midnight stroll'...what will happen "By the Light of the Flame"?


A/N: Heya everyone, just to let you know, I needed a break from the poetic stuff of Neithawen's Deception, so I just wrote this little piece of work. I hope you like it! And if you haven't read Neithawen's Deception before, just click on my username and you'll find it there, if you want. Now read and enjoy!

By the Light of the Flame

        Hermione lifted her head from the stack of parchment she had been sifting through. '_That little nap wasn't such a good idea,' she thought to herself. She began rifling through the papers again, looking for that name. Why couldn't she find it? Wasn't it there just a few moments ago when she'd looked before?_

        Little did she know that she had been asleep for hours. The semi-dark classroom she was in hadn't been occupied since much earlier that day. McGonagall had said she could use the empty Transfiguration room for a few hours of solitary study. She glanced down at her watched and gasped. Five hours? She had slept for five hours? She'd studied for two, then decided to take a rest, but she hadn't known she'd been asleep _that long. __'I'd better go before a teacher finds me and gives me detention. Gosh, no wonder it's so dark in here.' She reached for a candle and her wand. Chanting a little spell, the candle wick burst into flame. She set the candle down and began to pick up her papers._

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

        Draco crept along the hall, being as silent as possible. If he were to be caught out of bed, there would be trouble. Sneaking out of the common rooms at night was totally forbidden at Hogwarts, and if he got caught, he'd get detention for sure. _Unless_ Professor Snape caught him. At least then he'd have a chance of getting out of it.

        Hearing footsteps behind him, Draco paused, holding his breath. He looked frantically around and, seeing the smallest sliver of light in a door that stood barely ajar, darted to the left. He opened the door as softly as he could, as quickly as he could, and entombed himself inside. With his ear pressed against the door, he listened as the footsteps grew louder and then softer. He was in the clear.

        The rustle of paper startled him. He whipped around, all the while formulating an excuse as to why he was out of bed and sneaking into classrooms to escape from teachers. He fully expected to see a teacher. Instead he saw, "Granger!"

        Hermione nearly jumped out of her skin. She dropped all the parchment she was holding and gave a startled shriek. "Malfoy, what are _you_ doing here?" 

        "I could ask the same of you, _Granger._ Studying, were we?" he sneered, his drawl emphasizing her name.

        "Why do you care, Malfoy?" she asked, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "It's no business of yours."

        Draco watched as she stared at him, an agitated frown turning down the corners of her luscious lips. Right at that moment, he wanted nothing more than to feel her lips against his own. But they couldn't…_he_ couldn't. Oh, but, Merlin's beard, he wanted to.

        "It's my business if I want it to be my business," he replied, smoothly walking towards her. He picked up the nearest book on the table. "One thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi," he said, not really reading the title. His eyes were on hers the whole time. 

        "What do you want, Malfoy?" 

        _'You,' he thought. Instead, he smiled sardonically and said, "Nothing, just reading the title of your book. Is that a crime? I think not."_

        "Give it back."

        "Hmm, I think I'll keep it for a minute." He began leafing through the pages of the book lazily, not even glancing down.

        His eyes watched her intently. She thought she'd die with the pleasure of his voice in her ears. She very badly wanted to kiss him, touch him, and be one with him. But she knew that would never be; no matter how much she wanted it. "Give it back," she said, this time advancing on him slightly. 

        "No."

        "Yes."

        "No."

        "Yes!" 

        Each time the words were repeated, they moved closer to each other. "No," Draco said again. _'Maybe,' he thought. "You'll have to kiss me to get it back."_

        She looked startled, but not revolted. _'That is a good sign,'_ he thought.

        "Kiss you? Why?" 

        "Well, do you want your book back, or not?" He knew he was being a bit childish, but he was sure it would be worth it in the end. By this time she was very close to him, their bodies only two feet away from each other.

        "Yes," she said breathily. She could feel the heat radiating from his body. His eyes were alight with mutual desire.

        "Then come and get it." He held in out behind him and smiled devilishly. She leaned closer to him and stretched her arm in order to reach the book. But the book was hardly her objective anymore. She put her other hand on his firm chest for balance, and suddenly, he closed the small gap that remained in between them. His lips brushed hers softly at first, sending little shockwaves of fire through every part of her body. The fire consumed her, and she pressed her mouth into his. Her lips parted, letting his tongue slide in. It explored gently, yet demanded her retaliation. She perused the recesses of his mouth with vigor, finding that it only increased her desire for him. Her outstretched hand came up to the nape of his neck, his blonde hair like threads of silk between her fingers.

        Draco's heart beat swiftly, and it increased when her hand came to touch his neck. As she moved her fingers slowly into his hair, he moaned slightly into her mouth. Carelessly setting the book down on a nearby table, he wrapped his arms about her waist, pulling her closer. Her hand strayed into his silken hair while her other came to rest on his chest, smoothing out his shirt over the hard muscles beneath. 

        Long moments passed and they stood in each others' embrace, neither wanting to let go. Finally, the candle Hermione had lit long ago began to sputter. The flickering light and sizzling noises got their attention, and they pulled apart. Draco looked into Hermione's eyes, not quite knowing what to say. Her face was beautiful in the flickering light; her lips dewy and moist from his kisses. Hermione pulled away from him, smiling. Neither said a word. Hermione moved back to the table and began collecting her things. Draco moved to her and began to stack her books. She looked up at him and smiled. They continued to gather her things together. Once she had them tucked away in her bag, they moved toward the door together. Before Hermione blew out the candle, they shared one last, lingering kiss by the light of the flame. 

A/N again (hey, if you say that, it rhymes!): I hope you enjoyed. I could _maybe_ write a fanfic around this little part, but I dunno. I guess I'll let the readers decide. So review, please, and tell me what you think ~_^  

Yeuua Summoner


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